Why I Want To Do More ‘Mindless’ Eating

Ok… You might be a little worried when you see this caption, but let me explain. There are a few kinds of mindless eating, and I’m not talking about emotional eating or promoting binge eating… However, there is a kind of ‘mindful’ eating that became an obsession, an idol. I was worshipping the food and I was ALWAYS thinking about eating. I was ‘too mindful’ of eating and not mindful of God’s grace, God’s goodness, and just resting in, waiting on Him.

It was absolutely miserable. The only thing I was mindful about was eating; and life was made to be so much more than eating. Life was made to be enjoying God, learning about the grace of God in Jesus, walking in His light and rejoicing in His grace to sinners like me.

I wasn’t redeemed to be a child who focused on the food instead of the One who made the food. God is SATISFYING. He satisfies the soul with His goodness. More and more God changed my heart to realize that hungering after Him, hungering after His love and being filled in Him was what would really satisfy my longing heart.

‘My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.’ Psalm 84:2

Food didn’t fulfill that longing or craving when it was the center of my life. I was mindful of my eating, but that was all. I couldn’t look at how God had made my body fearfully and wonderfully. I didn’t wonder at how God made my body to process food and to give Him glory with the things I did, fueled by nutritious, comforting food.

Comfort started to come from knowing that God cared for my body through the food I was eating.

This kind of ‘mindless’ eating turned into more of a mindfulness of just being more grateful for the food instead of letting it control me.

Pizza night y’all and these verses. ———————–“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:9-10‬ ‭———————a reminder that God is so patient with us and that this world isn’t the end. ————————do you have pizza night with the family? What’s on your mind right now? #beautyinChrist

What are the most important elements of this ‘mindless’ eating?

1) You’re more focused on being thankful for the food instead of the food itself.

2) You’re not focused on the calories but the time with precious family and friends over the food.

3) You realize that the food is a gift, but it’s not something that is a worthwhile idol or god.

I want to do more and more of that mindless eating where I’m eating to nourish my body, but food is no longer the center or the goal.. That’s where freedom lies. Freedom in Christ to live not for food but for Him is awesome. It’s all His awesome work.

It’s humbling to think that the Almighty God cares for me, someone who is just one person in millions, billions of people on the earth, but I am so thankful that He is mindful of us, and that He alone can teach us to be mindful of the right things….

When you’re freed from that bondage of food there is truly no feeling like it. You don’t want to go back. You may have thoughts from time to time, but in God’s grace and mercy and power, there is no going back. I’m thankful for God’s patience with me, in teaching me this through His kindness. His mercies are new every morning. His compassions do not fail, despite my failings. His promises and His wondrous works are what we can sing of forever and EVER!

Have you ever struggled with being ‘too mindful’ of what you’re eating?

Linking up with Lori for Moments of Hope and Katie for Marvelous Monday and Amanda to Think out Loud! This is also the first ‘Take Care of Your Temple Tuesday’ in a while. Thank you so much dear Lyss for creating this graphic and continuing to promote recovery and a God glorifying, sweet hopeful look at life and taking care of your body every day, through every blog post and every picture.

If you search the ‘take care of your temple’ tuesday tag, you should be able to find the rest of the posts in this series!

Comments

I think when we eat we should be focused not on the calories but how we our nourishing our bodies and minds. We should be focused on who we are eating with and how lucky we are to have that food on our plate. I think that is the most important thing about “mindless” eating! xoxo

I love this, Em! I’m totally with you that I would really love to be able to do more ‘mindless’ eating, as you call it. Mindfulness when caring for your body is great, but for me and other folks with a history of disordered eating, that mindfulness can take a form somewhere a lot closer to anxiety. I love the idea of focusing on being thankful for the food and not letting the food itself distract you from the things that are truly important.

This is such a great goal! It is one of thing I also want to strive to do during this new time in our lives. Isn’t it great that God washes us new each morning by His grace, daily guiding our hearts to seek Him and be satisfied only in Him!? Thank you for sharing a difficult but inspiring challenge- through God all is possible!

Yup after all my struggles with food I definitely need more mindless eating. My favourite thing about mindless eating is spontaneous things don’t scare me. Like yesterday my family went for a walk together and afterwards we decided to get ice creams and it was wonderful.

Too much of a good thing isn’t good. I think mindful eating is really important, but you’re right, Our thoughts shouldn’t be glorifying the food, making the act of being mindful actually obsessive. They should be focused on the people we’re eating with and the gratitude in our hearts for the blessing of food. Over the weekend, I was away with my sisters and a few of their friends. I got to experience that mindless eating, which felt awesome. I could just enjoy the fellowship of these lovely people around me, and I savored the food but didn’t worry about it. Such a good feeling, Em <3

Great post, and I can definitely understand the want for more “mindless” eating! I think I’m kinda a mix of both in that I tend to make my own food whenever possible, partly so I can save money but also because it tends to be healthier, but I do also let myself have the snacks/random things I crave. Everything in moderation!

Trackbacks

[…] Body Image/Food/Recovery Posts: I wrote this one on Monday, because I truly want to be less mindful of ‘eating’ and calories and more mindful of blessings and the presence and reality of Jesus Christ in my life every day. […]

[…] Why I Want To Do More “Mindless” Eating from Beauty in Christ. Being mindful when you eat is great…but not when it takes the form of fear and anxiety. Like Emily, I’d love to just be able to let go more when I eat and focus on the things that truly matter (i.e. not the food.) […]

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Go Back in Time!

I am a very ordinary girl. I’m 24, but if you met me, you wouldn’t believe me. I am passionate about girls finding true beauty in Christ. I love peanut butter, icecream, and salad. My hobbies are cooking, baking, sharing laughs and tears with others, and sharing the fullness of joy that Christ has put in me. I love reading other blogs, and I hope that this will be a place where you can find encouragement, recipes, smiles, and joy. Click here to read more about me...